INTRODUCTION
This morning, we are going to take from our text this subject, “WARNING SIGNS” . Did you know that God is forever warning us each and everyday until the day of Jesus' coming? Did you know that these warnings are all around us and are real? The Weather Bureau gives out warnings of certain storms that's arriving at any giving time. So, my brothers and sisters, there are warning signs all around us but are we listening?
I.
The American Dictionary tells us that a warning is an advance notice, as of a coming danger. A sign of notice of coming danger. The act of giving such a sign or notice; acting or serving warning.
God was preparing the Prophet Ezekiel for the work in which God has for him to do; I guess you can say that Ezekiel was getting his on-the-job training and that's when the Lord told him to stand on his feet because the Lord will speak to you Ezekiel and that's when the Spirit came into the Prophet raising him up to his feet and that's when he heard the Lord speaking to him.
Ezekiel gotten his “marching papers” from the Lord and so He told the prophet that he is sending him to the Israelites which is a rebellious nation that rebelled against God. Now the Lord also told Ezekiel that whether these people listen to you and because they are a rebellious house, they will know that a prophet has been there with you. Ezekiel was told not to be afraid of them or their words or what they may say to you in other words, fear is not an option.
II.
It was at the end of seven days now and we see Ezekiel sitting quietly among the people because it is the customary period of mourning for the dead. You can find out about this in Genesis 50:10; 1 Samuel 31:13; and Job 2:13. Ezekiel was mourning for the spiritually dead or as Paul describes it like this, “being alienated from the life of God” in Ephesians 4:18; like being separated from life is the same as being dead.
The Lord called Ezekiel saying, “Son of Man, I made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so, hear the word I speak and give them warning from me....” (Verse 16) The work of a watchman is to take notice and to give notice that warns the people of approaching danger. This was the role that Ezekiel was giving to by God by warn the people of the judgment to come. There are some scholars that think “accountable for his blood” means that just as a watchman on the wall would pay with his life if he failed to warn the city approaching enemies which comes to my point of the 3B's to follow: BEWARE, BE WATCHFUL and BE WAITING.
a) BEWARE. Ezekiel was giving the people warning if they didn't do what the Lord said spoken through the prophet, then they would be destroyed. The saying goes, “...warning comes before destruction” is a true saying indeed but rather they listen and heed that warning is up to that person doing the listening and so Ezekiel gave the warning before they are destroyed. In Paul's letter to the Corinthian church, he wrote to them saying, “these events happened as a WARNING to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did” 1 Corinthians 10:6 (New Living). Long after Ezekiel, there was a man named John the Baptist who came along giving the people warning telling the people to repent. We are shouldered with that responsibility each and every day warning the people to repent from their sins but are they listening? Do you recall September 11th, 2001? My wife Vanessa awakens from her sleep from an unusual dream she was having one morning. She dreamed she saw 5 eagles flying in the window and she pointed upward to let everyone know. She asked her mother if it means death her mother didn't know -that was September 11th.
I believe that day was a day that God was telling us, warning us I AM GOD AND THERE IS NO OTHER! HEED MY WARNING FOR I AM GOD THE ONLY GOD! WAKE UP AMERICA! WAKE UP FROM YOUR SLEEP AND SLUMBERAND BE ABOUT MY BUSINESS IN BRINGING IN SOULS TO MY KINGDOM! WAKE UP AMERICA WAKE UP! HEED MY WARNING! I GIVE YOU WARNING, SEEK ME NOW!!!!!!!! Paul put it quite clear when he told the early church, “I am not writing this to shame you, but WARN you......” 1 Corinthians 4:14.
b) BE WATCHFUL. In Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus spoke of that unknown day and unknown hour of when he is coming. Verse 36 of this same text, Jesus answered the question we all want to know, “No one knows bout that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father...”. Brothers, be watchful! Sisters, be watchful! Be watchful of the signs taking place unfolding before you day by day and it's real. “And it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away That was how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Verses 38 & 39). Just like it was then during that time so it is now, the people will be more and more wicked and just it is today. God requires us to be watchman on the “wall” to tell dying men and women to tell them to turn from your sins before you get destroyed.
c) BE WAITING. “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not bear sin, but bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” Hebrews 9: 27-28. As a watchman, we are to wait for the day when Christ will make his triumph return.
CONCLUSION
I will never forget when I was living in Miami some years ago, a storm came through. At one moment, the skies were sunny and bright then suddenly the sky went dark. It was like a storm was approaching. I was walking back home, and I can see the people in a panic thinking it was the Second Coming of Christ.
Later on, I went on that evening I went to prayer service. We gotten out of prayer service; the city looked deserted dark. The Metro Rail and Metro Buses weren't running at all.
As my pastor his wife and I gotten close to the house, you can see Miami Metro Police blocking off the entrances of the street I was staying on, trees and power lines were down, and the streets were dark all around. So, my pastor let me off near the street I was staying. I walked towards the house I can see tree debris all over the yard but no one in the house was hurt or harmed.
The next day I learned that a tornado came through Miami with only one death and that was the man who stayed next door to us; a tree fell on house and killed him.
So, you see what Ezekiel was warning the people because if he didn't death would come to him; The Prophet was a watchman on the wall warning the people. Pastor Williams is our watchman on the wall warning us, teaching us listen to him Brothers and Sisters. Don't be hardheaded but listen to what the watchman is saying to us heed the warning to the people!
Remember, warning comes before destruction! Amen.
